Natalie Barnhard, a 2002 graduate of Villa’s Physical Therapy Assistant program, was featured in the most recent edition of Spinal Column, a magazine published seasonally by Shepherd Center.
Located in Atlanta, GA, Shepherd Center is a private, not-for-profit hospital specializing in medical treatment, research and rehabilitation for people with spinal cord injury and brain injury.
The article highlights the incredible strength and perseverance Natalie shows daily as she fights to regain her strength after sustaining a traumatic spinal cord injury at the age of 24.
Natalie received Villa’s Distinguished Alumni Award in 2016; she also addressed the graduating class at that year’s commencement ceremony. Business Business First also awarded a Women of Influence Award in 2015. Her foundation, Wheels With Wings, has raised more than $200,000 and has given away $150,000 in grants.
“At a juncture where most people might have recoiled from the world, focusing on the challenges before them, Natalie has chosen to reach out further, viewing her experiences and injury as a platform from which she can make a change. My heart and vision is to take my knowledge from being a therapist, a healer, and my experience as the patient with an injury to help other people in our community who need and deserve the best care possible,” Natalie says. “I want to use my unique perspective to truly change lives.”
Read the full article here.
